apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Check Unclutterer.com. Their website rules and has a specific category for tiny living.

Surely you folks at "Re-Nest" can come up with a better list of links for Connie. Connie - yes, you can live comfortably in 400 sq. ft. Think large sailboat! Your 400 sq. ft. would be quite a yacht! Try these:

http://www.resourcesforlife.com
http://zenhabits.net
http://tinyhouseblog.com
http://simpleliving.net
http://tumbleweedhouses.com
http://awakeningearth.org

And the "mother lode":

http://zenhabits.net/2008/06/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-simplifying-your-life-and-way-more/#more-717

Peace,
Windwolf

does anyone know where the table and benches in the image are from?! i've been looking for exactly that!

nevermind... paris. just my luck. if anyone knows of any maker of something similar in the US, please advise! thanks in advance.

I think it all depends on the two people who are going to be sharing that 400 sq ft. My boyfriend and I both work at home. And we both feel a strong need to have our own private spaces, where we can be left alone sometimes, whether we are working or not. So, for us, 400 sq ft would definitely not work. For you, the answer may be different.

I agree with jyw, it depends on you and your bf. My husband and I both have messy hobbies. For sanity's sake, he has his own little office. I can fit most of my junk into the bedroom closit. I do try to take a look at my accumulations semi-annually and get rid of whatever I don't actually use. Getting the huz to do the same... well, that's a royal pain.

I think the biggest issue is whether you're both committed to making this relationship (with the space) work. You'll have to decide who gets to use what, when, and whether you both can clean up after yourselves to let each other use the space. You say you're both excited about it, so I think that bodes well. A lot of it's going to be trial and error: you're just going to have to live in the space and figure out what you need and add (or subtract) accordingly.

Best of luck!

Connie,

I highly, highly recommend buying or borrowing the AT book. I know, shameless endorsement of this site, but that's why we're here - because the principles taught in the book are often more important than actual interior decorating.

Most importantly, sit down with your BF and a floorplan of the place you're worried about, and describe what you each NEED to get by. If you NEED separate work areas, play with the floorplan a bit to see if you can incorporate it. If you both like to cook and the kitchen is your favorite room, make sure that room is comfy for you two.

Bottom line is to make the space fit you, not the other way around. It's doable, I promise! I live in 375 square feet, and a few last tips that I can pass on follow:

1. Make sure every piece of furniture you have serves multiple purposes, whether storage or functionality in some way.

2. Never buy anything that doesn't fit or isn't comfortable. It will look awkward in the space, and it won't work for your lifestyle.

3. I highly, highly recommend using 12-20 inches out from one wall to build in bookshelves. It helps with storage issues and takes up so little space. By painting the shelves the same color as the wall, they blend in. By painting a contrasting color, they become a focal point.

4. Use hide-away spaces. A desk that folds up and out of the way, tables that nest, a murphy bed (check out the Moddi bed - it's really awesome! I converted it to fit a Queen-sized mattress in it), chairs that stack, tables that pull out or collapse, and bars, poles, baskets and bins that pull out, up, or through other items for clothes drying, hanging, nick-nack hiding, magazine concealing or shoe storage.

5. Go vertical - use that space to the ceiling! My bathroom is literally 4 foot by 4 foot - it has eight meager inches between a corner shower stall and the sink. I built shelving there all the way to the ceiling, and now have more than enough storage for my bathroom supplies!

6. Let nothing go to waste. I applaud you for embracing the less-consumptive lifestyle and taking the plunge into a smaller space. You can do this; look for waste and ponder on how you can use the space more efficiently.

Head up! If you need to, email me and we can chat about other solutions just for you.

is it a 1bdrm or a studio? that's where you may run into the most difficulty.

there are a few threads out there that discuss how noise and light are probably the biggest issues between a couple and a small space.

i'm currently in a sub 500sqft (says the landlord but i think it's even more like 450sqft at best) but have a separate bedroom and a locker. bf pretty much lives with me (ie. nearly 7 days a week, 30 days a month he's there with a dedicated section of closet) and his dog. i started out with virtually no furniture and found that was best. i've been slowly accumulating pieces as i need them and fall in love with them and don't have an overabundance of anything (but clutter, and it's nearly a monthly cleaning to fix that) that way. i don't have a coffee table or feel a need for one as an example, couch has wide enough arms to sub for it.

much of my furniture will serve double duty - counter as dining table, couch as guest bed, extra table surfaces that slide under counter/dining table until needed, extra stools for counter subbing as ladder and/or night tables. i don't have a large wardrobe but do extend shelving up high for storage and less visual clutter.

I lived in 400 sq ft with a partner for over a year while our home was being remodeled.
It was challenging.

If you decide to go for it, here's my tips:
- make sure that you both have somewhere else to go in order to have space from each other. That might be a coffee shop down the street, it might be a park nearby, a library, whatever. Just make sure there's *somewhere* available.
- discuss how you will approach it if you want to be doing noise-conflicting activities. For example, does one of you love to watch tv, but the other one hates it? Music? A noisy hobby, or one that *requires* quiet? Talk about it in advance!
- Agree clearly what goes where. In a small space, you have to be super-organized, or it gets overwhelming quickly.

Good luck!

I actually live in a 400 sq ft apt with my boyfriend. Originally it was my place when I moved to the city. I did so much work to it and love the neighborhood so much (and that fact that I walk to work) that when we decided to move in together I just didn't want to leave. We thought we would give it a shot living there together, knowing that we could always move. A year later things are still going great!

One thing that has helped tremendously is having wireless headphones for the tv so the volume isn't an issue if one of us is up later than the other. I'm super organized so everything has its spot. We joke that it’s like living on a sailboat where there is a compartment for everything. The best part is we only keep things around that we really love or need.

I think it would probably be much harder if we started off in one bedroom then downsized to a studio, but since this is all we know of living together I can’t complain at all.

Is the photo supposed to be a 400 sq ft space? Cuz it looks like a 3500 sq foot loft.

Hi, Connie,
My husband and I live in 400 square feet (398 to be precise). He started out as my boyfriend, and now we're married, so that's a good sign that we made the space work! In our space, we have a queen-size bed, two desks, a regular-size couch, and more, and it does not feel cramped. We have good storage space, and I continually purge. My photos on Flickr are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25342331@N08/?donelayout=1 (there are 2 pages, totalling 27 photos). For us, it is totally doable.

Hey, Connie - how about giving us a floorplan? I'm an interior designer specializing in Manhattan apartment renos, and it's always, always, always about the floorplan configuration. I live and work in 200sf; 400sf is very do-able - you'd be amazed. Gimme a floorplan and get some free professional advice!
Drooling over another small-space challenge,
Kittie

Ha! My boyfriend and I recently moved into a 450 square foot apartment and it seems so huge and luxurious to us - we both lived for several years in separate studios of less than 200 square feet. Our layout is helpful - big open living room, decent kitchen and two small separate rooms with doors. But yeah, welcome to new york, two people in 400 square feet is practically spacious!

I live in a small cottage that is probably under 300 square foot - and maybe even closer to 200. Floorplan. Well. It's crap. Here's my issue. I've read everything there is on small space living and, oddly, I sort of like small spaces, but I haven't seen much about a working artist living in such a small space except for artists who have stuff all over the place.

People assume I know what to do because I'm creative and in a way I do, however, reality is that I need a space for making jewelry, sleeping, eating, entertaining, yoga, the cat, clothing (one really small closet) and breathing room, not to mention my sculpting supplies (cement sculting) and my Reiki practice which demands I have a calm, pristine area for the occasional cient. And I don't like murphy beds.

So basically, I've just had to accept that I'm an artist first, and that's that. And I'm a cook. So there's pots and knives and really nice stuff and little storage. I'm organized, selective, and have done well - but a sofa is something I just can't have and I truly miss it.

So if someone knows about designing for active artists who want a place that looks like a real apartment, let me know. I would kill for 400 square feet. If I could just knock down that damn wall in the middle..........but alas, I rent.

My boyfriend and I live in 280 square feet in NYC. We love it! It's plenty of space to live we want plus we save tons of money. He put custom-shelving up the high ceilings for our built-in desk-library area, everything is on the wall in the kitchen (yes, we cook regularly) and we even have a tiny fold out couch from ikea for guests (yes, 4 people have stayed in the apartment at once). We have his and her's ikea wardrobes (yes, I have a TON of clothes so I've taken over some of his) plus one other teeny built-in closet for misc stuff. Every single ounce of space we have is utilized, including storing most of our bathroom items in the shower curtain (pocketed from BB&B). ha! My parents live in Indiana in a gigantic house with rooms they don't even use. What a waste! The challenge of small-space living thrills me. If I bought, thinking of the long term, 400-500sq foot (for 1 or 2 kids...) would be ideal. Custom-building with a lot of creativity and fit anything you'd need in that amount of space.

I live in a one bedroom house that is about 450 sf. The tax card states 419, but I have the additional SF from what was the old front porch of the house. It now serves as a combination dog room, storage room. It's me and several dogs. My biggest challenges are a horrible floor plan (literally 1/3 of the house is a very badly designed kitchen) minimal storage space and my on going struggle to eliminate clutter and unwanted objects.

I live on my patio in good weather....

One way to save space is to use a wall bed. I recently put one in my apartment that has a fold down table on the front and I love it! During the day I can put the bed up when I don't need it and use the table as a workspace, dining table, etc. It's comfy too, which is a plus. I was a little disappointed when it didn't fold me up in it like in the old movies, but I guess thats not be the safest scenario. I got mine at http://www.wallbedfactory.com...you should definitely check it out as a space saving option!

A biggie is to stop buying new things. When I moved into a tiny space, that's what I was forced to do and it's completely changed the way I live - I find myself being a lot less frivolous with my purchases simply because I don't have any space!!

And try to clear out old items (ie. old magazines take up ridiculous amounts of room...) every season at least!

good luck!

/candy
http://www.carrieanddanielle.com

I will definitely check out the resources everyone has suggested. Many of them I've heard of and visited, but haven't really digested.

I live in a studio that's about 320 sq ft according to my landlady. Honestly, it has plenty of space, it's just that the layout is weird. I want to give the place a different feel, but there's really only one place I can put the TV and one place I can put my bed. I've tried to think of every possible solution, but I'm just stuck!